New WeChat app to help China's travelers apply for visas

China Plus Published: 2019-01-15 19:39:51
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On Friday, the Global Joint Visa Application Center and Tencent's WeChat announced their plan to release an app named "Weifeng Visa" that would allow travelers from China to complete visa applications online.

A man takes picture of a QR code in a store. [Photo: IC]

A man takes picture of a QR code in a store. [Photo: IC]

When it is first released, the app will be available for residents in 15 major cities across the country. It is expected to help 3,200,000 travelers each year with their visa applications. The service is expected to expand to cover the whole country.

Users can submit their visa application information using the app, which will save the details for subsequent applications. They can then pay the visa fees using their WeChat digital wallet. Applicants will be able to check the progress of their application through the app.

"China now has an increasing number in cross-border tourists. In 2018, the number reached 140 million," said Luo Weiyu from the Global Joint Visa Application Center. "Visas are the first stop for going abroad, however the visa service industry is filled with all kinds of agencies asking for high prices, and they can't even guarantee the success of an applicant's visa application. Thanks to our digital data service, we are now capable of providing a highly efficient app for applicants."

Since it was first launched in 2011, WeChat has grown to become the most popular app in China. In 2018, the number of monthly users reached 1 billion.

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